The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are out now, and many would have been deeply intrigued by the event before. Over the years, OnePlus has gathered an army of fans around it, offering the latest processor and advanced display technology hundreds of dollars less than its competitors. But this time that 'wow effect' is gone. While in terms of technology, the new OnePlus is just as good, on the manufacturer's forum, perhaps for the first time, the topic 'OnePlus 8 is overrated?'
For this price, even Drake himself OnePlus will not buy
While the latest OnePlus phones are certainly good smartphones, with stunning displays, quality cameras, and great designs, they also brought another innovation that greatly overrides those merits: their prices have gone up. Much. OnePlus decided to gain a competitive edge at a time when millions of people were suddenly unemployed and sales of premium phones began to decline.
The waterfall screen is the top
OnePlus 8 pricing
For example, here's the current OnePlus price line:
- OnePlus 7T
8GB / 128GB: $ 599 - OnePlus 8
8GB / 128GB: $ 699
8GB / 128GB (Verizon): $ 799
12GB / 256GB: $ 799 - OnePlus 7 Pro
6GB / 128GB: $ 669
8GB / 256GB: $ 699 - OnePlus 8 Pro
8GB / 128GB: $ 899
12GB / 256GB: $ 999
To be fair, Qualcomm's price hikes for Snapdragon 865 and X55 5G modems this year have pushed up the value of every Android premium phone, including OnePlus. And for that high price, you get a top-notch processor, new RAM, great displays and 5G. However, the difference in price compared to the 2019 model was too large. Not to mention the older OnePlus smartphones.
OnePlus or Samsung?
OnePlus makes good smartphones, but got excited about the price
Choosing the very best and the latest for its latest phones, OnePlus has crossed its own line. Sure, compared to the $ 1,200 Galaxy S20 +, the $ 999 OnePlus 8 Pro is still a bit of a compromise, but that's not the same price point as the 7 or 6T. Now buyers will want to know why they should buy the OnePlus 8 for $ 699 when iPhone 11 costs the same.
And I'm not sure if OnePlus can answer this question correctly. The screen is good, but the Galaxy S20 has a cool one too. The design is great, but iPhone 11 from Apple is pretty pretty. The Oxygen OS is okay, but the Android 10 on the Pixel 4 is even better. Wireless charging is a nice addition, but 30W charging is a bit overkill, especially if you need a $ 70 kickstand to use it.
It seems to me that OnePlus has played a lot with flagships. Like most manufacturers Android – smartphones. Take the same Oppo, which offers phones for 70,000 rubles, or Samsung with its Galaxy Flip for 120,000 rubles. But at least Samsung has always produced not only state employees, but also flagships, although now is not the best time for them. Many other manufacturers have gone to the same steppe and made a name for themselves thanks to CHEAP phones. And now they say: 'Well, we took the latest Qualcomm percent, it's expensive, buy our phone for 60,000 rubles!'.
I remember how in April or May 2014 one colleague from Android Insider.ru ran up to me and asked: 'Do you happen to have an invitation to buy OnePlus One?'. Then I was very surprised – a smartphone by invitation, what else? However, as it turns out, the OnePlus One was really good. For its $ 299, he offered almost the characteristics of the top phones of the time. The manufacturer simply did not have enough capacity to meet the frenzied demand for its smartphones.
What now? Apple takes and releases a new iPhone SE 2020 for $ 399 (US tax excluded). Okay, in Russia – 39,990 rubles. But it's still a lot cheaper than the new OnePlus with its cool screen, processor and other bells and whistles.
iPhone SE 2020 is compared to OnePlus 8 for a reason
Now they will take exactly affordable smartphones with flagship characteristics. And not the flagships, which are considered overpriced by many due to the high price.
So I don't know what OnePlus is hoping for right now, but the manufacturer can definitely forget about high sales. Anything above $ 500 won't sell like hotcakes. At least not this year.